Field of the Invention
In one of its aspects, the present invention relates to a padded element, preferably a seat element, more preferably a vehicular seat element. In another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a process for producing a foam seat element, preferably a vehicular seat element. In yet another of its aspects, the present invention relates to a mold for producing a molded element, preferably a molded foam seat element, more preferably a molded foam vehicular seat element.
Description of the Prior Art
Passenger seats in vehicles, such as automobiles, are typically fabricated from a foam (usually a polyurethane foam) material which is molded into the desired shape and covered with an appropriate trim cover. The foamed material is selected to provide passenger comfort by providing a resilient seat and the trim cover is selected to provide the desired aesthetic properties.
In recent years, seats such as vehicular seats have been developed to confer one or more of the following to the seat: comfort, climate control, occupant detection and the like.
One area that has received particular attention is the provision of dual density or dual firmness seat components that are more dense or firmer in the peripheral portions of the seat thereby conferring to the occupant a snug or “wrapped-in” feel. This is especially important in performance vehicles which are designed such that turning at relatively high speed may be accomplished. However, there is an ongoing challenge to balance support provided by the seat with comfort of the occupant.
Dual density or dual firmness seat elements are expensive to produce and, in many cases, alter the feel of the supporting surface of the seat only in areas where it is perceived to be important to have different firmness properties. In other words, the conventional dual density or dual firmness seat elements use a generally coarse approach to provision of variable density or firmness.
Further, dual (or multi) density or dual (or multi) firmness seats typically require the use of two or more types of foam (e.g., molded, free rise, bead and the like) which are typically produced separately and secured together increasing the production time and costs of the final seat product. Alternatively, certain dual (or multi) firmness seats are made by molding or otherwise securing an insert (e.g., wire components, flexolators and the like) to a foam substrate.
International Publication No. WO 2006/102751 [San Miguel et al. (San Miguel)] teaches a foam seat element, a mold for production thereof and a method to manufacture the mold. The foam seat element taught by San Miguel comprises a seating surface in which one or more textured surfaces, the same or different, are created. The provision of such textured surfaces makes it possible to achieve in a single density part the “dual firmness” (or multi-firmness) comfort or feel that is conveniently achieved using multi-density foam pieces in a seat element. One of the advantages of the approach in San Miguel is it is possible to confer to the seat element a soft feel touch as an alternative to conventional so-called plus padding.
While the teachings in San Miguel represent an advance in the art, there is still room for improvement.
Specifically, when applying the teachings of San Miguel to vehicular car seats, it is conventional to create the one or more textured surfaces in the so-called A-surface of the vehicular seat. In doing this, there is a likelihood that the textured surface can be felt or seen through the trim cover (leather or upholstery) used to cover the foam seat element—this is also known in the art as “read through”. Automotive companies have continually increased the specifications and requirements for fit and finish of vehicular seats and the occurrence of “read through” in a vehicular seat is considered a disadvantage.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a foam element which, on the one hand, maintains the technical advantage of San Miguel (i.e., the ability to have different zones of comfort or feel in a surface of a foam element while a using a single density foam) while, on the other hand, obviating or mitigating the occurrence of “read through” in the A-surface of the foam element when it is adapted for vehicular seats.
In addition, it would be desirable to have a padded element that utilized molded foams having a different hardness from the A-surface to the B-surface of the padded element. It would be particularly advantageous if such a padded element could be produced from a unitary molded foam thereby simplifying production and lower chemical and/or labour costs to produce the padded element.
In addition, it would be desirable to have a padded element comprising a topper portion and substrate portion that could be reliably secured to one another (e.g., during application of a trim cover) without the need for extra mechanical parts and/or chemical adhesives.